Broken Eggshells
by The Goddess Bastet
Summary: Max comes to a realization about her relationship with Logan. This story does not contain bashing as such but...a little scolding.


Title: Broken Eggshells  
  
(standalone)  
  
Author: The Goddess Bastet  
  
Disclaimer: I never have owned and never will own Dark Angel.  
  
Setting: 10 months after Freak Nation.  
  
Pairing: None really...more like the disconnection of one.  
  
Summary: Max comes to a realization about her relationship with Logan. This story does not contain bashing as such but...scolding.  
  
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A/N: This was originally the first chapter of what was supposed to be a rather different sort of fic. But since I know myself and my total lack of updates, I edited it slightly to make it a standalone. If anyone's interested, I've also decided to get my ass in gear and have started work on chapter 3 of "Big Brother:Dark Angel". Cross your fingers and perhaps the update will be up before the end of the year!  
  
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The view from the Space Needle seemed even more serene tonight. Perhaps the calm was a reflection of the contentment that Max herself felt. The peace negotiations were going quite well. Both sides had approved the revised version of the Treaty of Terminal City and it looked like freedom was finally in grasp after the ten months of bitter struggle. Nelson Mandela would have been proud of her.  
  
Of course, Max couldn't take all the credit. She'd had her very own personal cheerleading squad to help her every step of the way:  
  
Had Original Cindy not pushed to keep on fighting when all seemed lost, Max would have surely given up.  
  
Had Joshua not reminded her - just by being his own darling self - how kindness and gentleness were not traits found solely in humans, she would have forgotten how wonderful the people she led were.  
  
Had Mole not challenged her every decision; she would have made careless mistakes in her vital role of leadership.  
  
Had Alec not managed to tease smiles from her reluctant mouth, she'd have become a depressed despot. Had he also not calmed her down when she felt like she was spinning in self-doubt, she would have broken under the pressure.  
  
Max smiled. With them by her side, she had no fear in challenging anyone to "Bring it on!" Her smile turned bitter as she thought of another so- called comrade.  
  
Had Logan not decided to traipse off into the vast unknown, she would have spent less time in the last three months worrying herself about his whereabouts and safety.  
  
The cure...  
  
The damned cure!  
  
She had a nation looking up to her to take care of them and he'd deserted her to go search for the miracle potion to mend their broken romance.  
  
Like that was ever going to happen.  
  
Their romance, like Humpty Dumpty could never be put together again.  
  
She and Logan were doomed. It had taken a siege for her to realize that their fairy tale would have no happy ending, but she had. Watching his condescending smiles towards the transhumans, while his eyes practically squirmed with discomfort, had been a painful eye-opener for her. How could anything work between them when he was so wary around those she considered her kin?  
  
Alec had tried to ease her fears by assuring her that Logan would gradually accustom himself to the more contoversial-looking transgenics but even he had to admit later that the human just did not gel well in Terminal City. He didn't like most of the inhabitants - and most of the inhabitants loathed him.  
  
In a way, she still loved him. Logan had been a dear friend who she had thought she had other feelings for. It was an innocent fantasy that had mutated into a draining experience for all concerned. Max would have loved a cure. She missed being able to do something as simple as slapping her friend on the arm. But her priorities had shifted and the welfare of her followers was right at the top of her list. Logan's list however, was headed by the word "CURE" in emboldened red.  
  
To be fair, Max reasoned that if her life were at constant risk, she'd want to eliminate that risk as soon as possible. Logan was just making sure that he wouldn't be dead before dawn.  
  
What was the worth in thinking about that now? Logan was gone. One day, he might return but in the meantime she was here, and she still had a duty to her people.  
  
She stood up to leave.  
  
"It's over," she announced to the breeze, hoping that it would carry her words to him.  
  
Max's eyes swept across the city's silhouette one last time before she tore them away. 


End file.
